Internet Protocol (IP) is a communication protocol used for relaying messages (packets) across an internetwork, such as the Internet or other IP-based network. It is used to help deliver IP messages from a source host to a destination host based on their IP addresses. To this end, IP defines addressing methods and structures for message encapsulation.
Many utilities have begun to deploy advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) systems to more intelligently measure, collect and analyze energy usage. Such systems often employ their own communications protocols to enable a utility's operations center to communicate with metering devices deployed at subscriber locations. As more and more advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) systems are deployed, it is becoming increasingly desirable to develop products that allow utilities to leverage their investments in such systems to “connect” beyond the AMI system's network.